The Teenage Mind
by PatronusPotter41192
Summary: HBP SPOILERS! COMPLETE! Harry and Dumbledore set off on the same journey as in HBP, only this time, Dumbledore doesn't drink all the potion, therefore isn't weak. It focuses on what that might have caused to happen. It also includes a little bonus for som
1. A Solution

**The Teenage Mind**

By: PatronusPotter41192

I, like most authors, would love for you to review. It doesn't even have to compliment. You could say that it's the worst story you've ever read if you want (actually, I probably wouldn't like that very much.) I would appreciate any spelling/grammar corrections or suggestions for the story. I will also gladly answer any questions you have, just leave your e-mail (or if you're a member, a review is good enough for me to know your e-mail.

Now read, and please review.

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Disclaimer: none of this belongs to me- it belongs to the one, the only, the brilliant J.K. Rowling!

A/N: This story begins at the bottom of page 569 of Half-Blood Prince.

IMPORTANT: Italicized words are text copied straight out of Half-Blood Prince!

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**Chapter 1- A Solution**

_Their eyes met over the basin, each pale face lit with that strange, green light. Harry did not speak. Was this why he had been invited along- so that he could force-feed Dumbledore a potion that might cause him unendurable pain?_

"_You remember," said Dumbledore, "the condition on which I brought you with me?"_

_Harry hesitated, looking into the blue eyes that had turned green in the reflected light of the basin ._

"_But what if- ?"_

"_You swore, did you not, to follow any command I gave you?"_

"_Yes, but-"_

"_I warned you, did I not, that there might be danger?"_

"_Yes," said Harry, "but-"_

"_Well, then," said Dumbledore, shaking back his sleeves once more and raising the empty goblet, "you have my orders."_

"_Why can't I drink the potion instead?" asked Harry desperately._

"_Because I am much older, much cleverer, and much less valuable," said Dumbledore. "Once and for all, Harry, do I have your word that you will do all in your power to make me keep drinking?"_

"_Couldn't- ?"_

"_Do I have it?"_

"_But-"_

"_Your word, Harry."_

"_I- all right, but-"_

_Before Harry could make any further protest, Dumbledore lowered the crystal goblet into the potion. For a split second, Harry hoped that he would not be able to touch the potion with the goblet, but the crystal sank into the surface as nothing else had; when the glass was full to the brim, Dumbledore lifted it to his mouth._

"_Your _good_ health, Harry." _

"Professor, wait!" Harry demanded. Dumbledore paused with the goblet about an inch away from his face, before turning to look at Harry.

"Yes?"

"I was just wondering, Professor," Harry began, "what if, er, we emptied the basin without you drinking it?"

Dumbledore looked thoughtfully at him for a few seconds before replying, "I doubt it will work, but it's worth a try."

With these words, Dumbledore handed the goblet to Harry and conjured something that looked strangely like a laundry tub.

"Professor," Harry said unsurely, "is that a, er-?"

"Yes, Harry, it is indeed a laundry tub. It has always fascinated me the way muggles wash their socks."

Harry merely chuckled, not wanting to go into an explanation about how muggles used washers and dryers nowadays.

Dumbledore conjured a second goblet, identical to the first, and said, "Let's begin, shall we?"

Will it work? Find out next chapter- Back Where They Came From. (I'll be posting it soon, reviews always help, though!)

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A/N: Will it work? Find out next chapter- Back Where They Came From. (I'll be posting it soon, reviews always help, though!) 


	2. Back Where They Came From

A/N: Hey y'all, thanks for the review andhere's the next chapter to this fic. I know it's short, but don't worry b/c the next one will be longer than the first 2 combined. yepee! Ok, yeah well I'll be updating again soon, whether you like it or not. HA! Hopefully you like it though, and although I'll still update if you don't, I would still appreciate review. Thanks. Now Read!

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**Chapter 2- Back Where They Came From**

The pair began filling the goblets with the potion and emptying them into the tub until there was none of the green liquid left in the basin. Harry smiled at the thought that Dumbledore had conjured something so vast, when the potion didn't even fill it a quarter of the way.

"I believe it is time to test your idea." Dumbledore stated.

Harry nodded, then turned to the basin and reached his hand down in it. The barrier was still in tact. Harry turned to Dumbledore, then shook his head. "It didn't work."

"I thought not." was Dumbledore's reply. He then proceeded to dip his goblet into the laundry tub, filling it with the emerald green liquid once more. It was when Dumbledore moved to get a second glass that Harry interfered.

"Sir," Harry started. Dumbledore looked up at him. "maybe you should try now, you might only need to drink a little of it."

Dumbledore seemed impressed by the suggestion. He walked over to the basin, reached his hand into it, and brought it out, Slytherin's locked clutched in his hand. He smiled at Harry. "The teenage mind can be surprisingly simple... and ...wise."

Harry returned the smile, absent-mindedly letting his goblet fall from his grasp. It fell straight into the water. "Dang!" Harry exclaimed, surprised at his carelessness.

Harry's arm suddenly went cold. _A slimy white hand had gripped his wrist, and the creature to whom it belonged was pulling him, slowly, backward across the rock. The surface of the lake was no longer mirror-smooth; it was churning, and everywhere Harry looked, white heads and hands were emerging from the dark water, men and women and children with sunken, sightless eyes were moving toward the rock: an army of the dead rising from the black water._

"_Petrificus Totalus!" yelled Harry, struggling to cling to the smooth, soaked surface of the island as he pointed his wand at the Inferius that had his arm: It released him, falling backward into the water with a splash; he scrambled to his feet, but many more Inferi were already climbing onto the rock, their bony hands clawing at its slippery surface, their blank, frosted eyes upon him, trailing waterlogged rags, sunken faces leering._

"Remember what I advised you to do, should this have happened?" Dumbledore called out to Harry.

Harry remembered. Fire. He needed to use fire. He collected himself and began shooting crimson and gold flames at the Inferi. At that moment, a ring of fire burst from Dumbledore's wand, surrounding himself and Harry and daring the Inferi to come closer. The dead did not live up to the dare; they realized they were defeated and returned to the water, back where they came from.

Dumbledore and Harry re-entered the boat, and they sailed through the lake towards the entrance. Dumbledore made to get out his knife, before Harry informed him that his leg was bleeding. This time Harry gave the blood to the door, which opened obligingly once more.

"I think it is time we returned to the Hog's Head, Harry." Dumbledore announced once they were out of the cave. At a nod from the boy, Dumbledore motioned for Harry to grab his arm, grasped his wand in his right hand, and said, "1... 2... 3... Turn."

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Hehe, what a great place to stop the chapter, eh? Y'all may not like it since it's kinda like a cliffhanger, but I'm already at least half-way through writing the next one, so it'll be up in a few days. Do I sense a review coming on? 


	3. Conversation and Confrontation

A/N: Well, here it is- chapter 3. It took a little longer that I expected, but thanks for the reviews and I hope you like it. It's about 3x as long as the other 2 combined! Wow. Yeah, I know that's because most of it is right from the book, but it only seemed right to leave in almost the whole Draco/Dumbledore conversation. Though,I did tweak it a little, of course. I have plans for chapter 4 being the last chapter, andI believe it will contain more of my writing than this one.Enjoy!

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**Chapter 3- Conversation and Confrontation**

Once again, Harry felt the sensation of being squeezed through an extremely narrow tube. He knew they were out before he opened his eyes: _The smell of salt, the sea breeze had gone. He and Dumbledore were shivering in the middle of the dark High Street in Hogsmeade. For_ _one_ _horrible moment Harry's imagination showed him more Inferi creeping toward him around the sides of shops, but he blinked and saw that nothing was stirring; all was still, the darkness complete but for a few streetlamps and lit upper windows._

"_We did it, Professor!" Harry whispered with difficulty; he suddenly realized that he had a searing stitch in his chest. "We did it! We got the Horcrux."_

Dumbledore returned Harry's joy with a half-smile. He didn't look entirely like his normal self.

"_Sir, are you alright?"_

"I could be worse." Dumbledore replied. "Come to think of it, I could also be better. Either way, _that potion... was no health drink._ I am truly thankful of your determination to get me out of that cave with as little of it in me as possible."

Harry felt slightly better. "Are you sure you're ok, Professor? We could go see Madam Pomfrey, you know._"_

"Well, now that you mention it, I could do with a remedy; one can never be too careful.

However, it is Professor Snape, not Madam Pomfrey, whom I should see."

"Right. Let's head over to the castle so we can get you to the Hospital-"

"_Severus," said Dumbledore clearly. _"It will be quicker going to see Severus."

Harry caved, though unwillingly. He had been suspecting Snape to be working with Voldemort for quite some time now._ "All, right then, Snape-"_

"_Professor_, Harry, _Professor _Snape." Dumbledore corrected him, as he had done many times.

"Right, _Professor_ Snape." Harry began. "We'd better start walking, then."

_Before either of them could make a move, however, Harry heard running footsteps. Looking around he saw Madam Rosmerta scurrying down the dark street toward them on high-heeled, fluffy slippers, wearing a silk dressing gown embroidered with dragons._ She looked extremely worried.

"_I saw you Apparate as I was pulling my bedroom curtains! Thank goodness, thank goodness, I couldn't think what to- but what's wrong with Albus?"_

"He's alright. He just drank a potion that was, shall we say, no health drink. We're going up to the castle to see Madam- er, Professor Snape."

"Well, you can't just stroll right into the castle! _Don't you realize- haven't you seen- ?"_

"_What has happened?" asked Dumbledore. "Rosmerta, what's wrong?"_

"_The- the Dark Mark, Albus." _She sounded as if she was about to faint.

_There it was, hanging in the sky above the school: the blazing green skull with a serpent tongue, the mark Death Eaters left behind whenever they had entered a building... wherever they had murdered..._

"_When did it appear?" asked Dumbledore_, and for the first time all night, he sounded slightly worried.

"_Must have been minutes ago, it wasn't there when I put the cat out, but when I got upstairs-"_

"_We need to return to the castle at once," said Dumbledore. "Rosmerta"- and he seemed wholly in command of the situation- "we need transport- brooms-"_

"_I've got a couple behind the bar," she said, looking very frightened. "Shall I run and fetch-?"_

"_No, Harry can do it."_

_Harry raised his wand at once._

"_Accio Rosmerta's Brooms!"_

_A second later they heard a loud bang as the front door of the pub burst open; two brooms had shot out into the street and were racing each other to Harry's side, where they stopped dead, quivering slightly at waist height._

"_Rosmerta, please send a message to the Ministry," said Dumbledore, as he mounted the broom nearest him_. _"It might be that nobody within Hogwarts has yet realized anything is wrong...Harry, put on your Invisibility Cloak."_

_Harry pulled his Cloak out of his pocket and threw it over himself before mounting his broom: Madam Rosmerta was already tottering back toward her pub as Harry and Dumbledore kicked off form the ground and rose up into the air. As they sped toward the castle, Harry glanced sideways at Dumbledore: he was bent low over his broom, his eyes fixed upon the Mark, his long silver hair and beard flying behind him on the night air. And Harry, too looked ahead at the skull, and fear swelled inside him like a venomous bubble, compressing his lungs, driving all other discomfort from his mind..._

_How long had they been away? Had Ron, Hermione, and Ginny's luck run out by now? Was it one of them who had caused the Mark to be set over the school, or was it Neville, or Luna, or some other member of the D.A.? And if it was... he was the one who had told them to patrol the corridors, he had asked them to leave the safety of their beds... Would he be responsible, again, for the death of a friend?_

_As they flew over the dark, twisting lane down which they had walked earlier, Harry heard, over the whistling of the night air in his ears, Dumbledore muttering in some strange language again. He thought he understood why as he felt his broom shudder when they flew over the boundary wall into the grounds: Dumbledore was undoing the enchantments he himself had set around the castle so they could enter at speed. The Dark Mark was glittering directly above the Astronomy Tower, the highest of the castle. Did that mean the death had occurred there?_

_Dumbledore had already crossed the crenellated ramparts and was dismounting; Harry landed next to him seconds later and looked around._

_The ramparts were deserted. The door to the spiral staircase that led back into the castle was closed. There was no sign of a struggle, of a fight to the death, of a body._

"_What does it mean?" Harry asked Dumbledore, looking up at the green skull with its serpent's tongue glinting evilly above them. "Is it the real Mark? Has someone definitely been-?"_

"Yes, Harry, it is the real Mark. It appears someone has definitely been murdered. Let us go and wake Severus."

_Harry hurried over to the door leading to the spiral staircase, but his hand had only just closed upon the iron ring of the door when he heard running footsteps on the other side. He looked around at Dumbledore, who gestured him to retreat. Harry backed away, drawing his wand as he did so._

_The door burst open and somebody erupted through it and shouted, "Expelliarmus!"_

_Harry's body became instantly rigid and immobile, and he felt himself fall back against the tower wall propped like an unsteady statue, unable to move or speak. He could not understand how it had happened- Expelliarmus was not a Freezing Charm-_

Then, by the light of the Mark, he saw Dumbledore shift his gaze from Harry to a jet of red light flying toward Dumbledore. Dumbledore blocked the spell back in the opposite direction when it was mere inches from his wand, disarming it's caster. Harry now understood... Dumbledore had wordlessly immobilized Harry, and the second he had taken to perform the spell had nearly cost him the chance to defend himself. Dumbledore summoned his would-be disarmer's wand, looked across the room at him and said, _"Good evening, Draco."_

Malfoy made to run out the door, but Dumbledore silently closed and locked it; seeing as Malfoy had no wand, he turned around and walked toward his headmaster. _His eyes fell upon the second broom._

"_Who else is here?"_

"_A question I might ask you. _Or were you working alone?"

While Draco wasn't looking, Harry saw Dumbledore point his wand at him, motion for him to stay still and quiet, and silently undo his Freezing Charm. Now able to move, Harry turned and _saw Malfoy's pale eyes shift back to Dumbledore in the greenish glare of the Mark._

"_No," he said. "I've got backup. There are Death Eaters here in your school tonight. _They'll be here any minute; you won't be able to hold them off."

"_Well, well," said Dumbledore _with surprising indifference. _Very good indeed. You found a way to let them in, did you?"_

Draco merely nodded.

"_Ingenious," said Dumbledore. "Yet... forgive me... where are they now? You seem unsupported."_

"_They met some of your guards." _said Draco, seeming to gather some courage. _"They're having a fight down below. _They won't be long_... I came on ahead. I- I've got a job to do."_ He returned to his weaker voice at the last sentence.

"And I made it incredibly difficult by disarming you, didn't I?" replied Dumbledore, seeming to read Draco's mind.

"Draco, Draco," Dumbledore started, now twirling his wand with his fingers. "We both know you wouldn't have killed me had you been successful with your Disarming Charm."

"Oh, yeah?" said Draco at once.

_He seemed to realize how childish the words had sounded; Harry saw him flush in the Mark's greenish light._

"_You don't know what I'm capable of ,"_ said Malfoy as if he was unaware that he, not Dumbledore, was disarmed. _"You don't know what I've done!"_

"_Oh yes, I do," _said Dumbledore, apparently shocked at Malfoy's tone of voice_. "You almost killed Katie Bell and Ronald Weasley. You have been trying, with increasing desperation, to kill me all year. Forgive me, Draco, but they have been feeble attempts... So feeble, to be honest, that I wonder whether your heart has really been in it."_

Draco looked sheepishly down at the ground, neither confirming nor denying Dumbledore's statement. _Somewhere in the depths of the castle below Harry heard a muffled yell. Malfoy stiffened and glanced over his shoulder._

"_Somebody is putting up a good fight." said Dumbledore conversationally. "You have managed to introduce Death Eaters into my school, which, I admit, I thought impossible... How did you do it?"_

_But Malfoy said nothing: He was still listening to whatever was happening below and seemed almost as paralyzed as Harry _had been minutes earlier.

A sharp "Well..." from Dumbledore brought him back to reality.

"How did I- I won't tell you! You'll have to kill me, he will if you don't!"

Dumbledore shook his head and said, "I do not wish to kill you, Draco, and, as for him killing you, I believe I can help. Just-"

"You can't help me!" Draco retorted, but fell silent at a look from Dumbledore, a look which Harry had seen many times.

"We will discuss that after you tell me how you smuggled Death Eaters into Hogwarts. Your friends seem to be taking longer than you expected- we have time. Telling me will make no difference now, it is already in effect."

_Malfoy looked as though he was fighting down the urge to shout, or to vomit. He gulped and took several deep breaths, glaring at Dumbledore. Then, as though he could not help himself, he said, "I had to mend that broken Vanishing Cabinet that no one's used for years. The one Montague got lost in last year. _The one in the Room of Requirement._"_

"_Aaaah." Dumbledore's sigh was half a groan. He closed his eyes for a moment. "That was clever... There is a pair, I take it?"_

"_In Borgin and Burkes," said Malfoy, "and they make a kind of passage between them. Montague told me that when he was stuck in the Hogwarts one, he was trapped in limbo but sometimes he could hear what was going on at school, and sometimes what was going on in the shop, as if the cabinet was traveling between them, but he couldn't make anyone hear him... In the end_, _he managed to Apparate out, even though he'd never passed his test._ _He nearly died doing it. Everyone thought it was a good story, but I was the only one who realized what it meant- even Borgin didn't know- I was the one who realized there could be a way into Hogwarts through the cabinets if I fixed the broken one._

"_Very good," murmured Dumbledore. "So the Death Eaters were able to pass from Borgin and Burkes into the school to help you... A clever plan, a very clever plan... and, as you say, right under my nose."_

"_But there were times," Dumbledore went on, "weren't there, when you were not sure you would succeed in mending the cabinet? And you resorted to crude and badly judged measures such as sending me a cursed necklace that was bound to reach the wrong hands... poisoning mead there was only the slightest chance I might drink..."_

"_Yeah, well, you still didn't realize who was behind that stuff, did you?" sneered Malfoy._

"_As a matter of fact, I did," said Dumbledore. "I was sure it was you._

"_Why didn't you stop me, then?" Malfoy demanded_, his courage apparently rising once more.

"_I tried, Draco. Professor Snape has been keeping watch over you on my orders-"_

"_He hasn't been doing your orders, he promised my mother-"_

"_Of course that is what he would tell you, Draco, but-"_

"_He's a double agent, he isn't working for you, you just think he is!"_

"_We must agree to differ on that, Draco. It so happens that I trust Professor Snape-"_

"_Well, you're losing your grip, then!" sneered Malfoy. "He's been offering me plenty of help- wanting all the glory for himself. _Glory that should belong to me!"

"_We all like appreciation for our own hard work, of course." said Dumbledore. "But you must have had an accomplice, all the same... someone in Hogsmeade, someone who was able to slip Katie the- the- aaaah..."_

_Dumbledore closed his eyes again and nodded, as though he was about to fall asleep. "... of course... Rosmerta. How long has she been under the Imperius Curse?"_

Malfoy gave Dumbledore a feeble smirk, but said nothing. _There was another yell from below, rather louder than the last. Malfoy looked nervously over his shoulder again, then back at Dumbledore, who went on: "So poor Rosmerta was forced to lurk in her own bathroom and pass that necklace to any Hogwarts student who entered the room unaccompanied? And the poisoned mead... well, naturally, Rosmerta was able to poison it for you before she sent the bottle to Slughorn, believing that it was to be my Christmas present... Yes, very neat... very neat... Poor Mr. Filch would not, of course, think to check a bottle of Rosmerta's. Tell me, how have you been in communication with Rosmerta? I thought we had all methods of communication in and out of the school monitored."_

"_Enchanted coins," said Malfoy, as though he was compelled to keep talking, _though he was shaking badly. _"I had one and she had the other and I could send her messages-"_

"_Isn't that the secret method of communication the group that called themselves Dumbledore's Army used last year? _Ms. Granger's idea, I believe?_" asked Dumbledore._

Malfoy scowled at Hermione's name. He hated being reminded of how clever she was. He then said, _"Yeah, I got the idea from them," said Malfoy, with a twisted smile. "I got the idea of poisoning the mead from the Mudblood as well, I heard her talking in the library about Filch not recognizing potions."_

"_Please do not use that offensive word in front of me," said Dumbledore._

Malfoy looked quite taken aback, but could not seem to be able to open his mouth.

"_Now, about tonight," Dumbledore went on, "I am a little puzzled about how it happened... You knew that I had left the school? But of course," he answered his own question, "Rosmerta saw me leaving, she tipped you off using your ingenious coins, I'm sure."_

"_That's right," said Malfoy. "But she said you were just going for a drink, you'd be back..."_

"_Well, I certainly did have a drink... and I came back... after a fashion," mumbled Dumbledore. "So you decided to spring a trap for me?"_

"_We decided to put the Dark Mark over the tower and get you to hurry up here, to see who'd been killed," said Malfoy. "And it worked!"_

"_Well... yes and no..." said Dumbledore. "But am I to take it, then, that nobody has been murdered?"_

"_Someone's dead," said Malfoy, and his voice seemed to go up an octave as he said it. "One of your people... I don't know who, it was dark... I stepped over the body... I was supposed to be waiting up here when you got back, only your Phoenix lot got in the way..."_

"_Yes, they do that," said Dumbledore._

_There was a bang and shouts from below, louder than ever; it sounded as though people were fighting on the actual spiral staircase that led to where Dumbledore, Malfoy, and Harry stood, and Harry's heart thundered unheard in his invisible chest... Someone was dead... Malfoy had stepped over the body... but who was it?_

"Now, earlier you said that Lord Voldemort will kill you.-"

"It's true," said Draco, he had winced horribly at the name. "He will!_ He'll kill my whole family!"_

"_I appreciate the difficulty of your position," said Dumbledore. "Why else do you think I have not confronted you before now? Because I knew that you would have been murdered if Lord Voldemort realized that I suspected you." I did not dare speak to you of the mission with which I knew you had been entrusted, in case he used Legilimency against you," continued Dumbledore. "But now at last we can speak plainly to each other... No harm has been done, you have hurt nobody, though you are very lucky that your unintentional victims survived... I can help you, Draco."_

"_No, you can't," said Malfoy, shaking very badly indeed. "Nobody can. He told me to do it or he'll kill me. _He'll kill me!_"_

"_He cannot kill you if you are already dead. Come over to the right side, Draco, and we can hide you more completely than you can possibly imagine. What is more, I can send members of the Order to your mother tonight to hide her likewise. Nobody would be surprised that you had died in your attempt to kill me- forgive me, but Lord Voldemort probably expects it. Nor would the Death Eaters be surprised that we had captured and killed your mother- it is what they would do themselves, after all. Your father is safe at the moment in Azkaban... When the time comes, we can protect him too. Come over to the right side, Draco..._ it is where you belong._"_

_Malfoy stared at Dumbledore. He did not speak._

At that moment, Harry heard footsteps coming up the spiral staircase. He saw four Death Eaters running towards the room. Harry jumped out from where he was hiding- Dumbledore could probably defeat them, but Harry couldn't risk it.

When the Death Eaters entered the room, a resounding crash was heard outside the door, which made all four of them turn around and look. When they turned back around, Harry pointed his wand at the one furthest to his right and yelled, _"Petrificus Totalus!" _and Dumbledore silently immobilized the other three simultaneously, very much like he had done to Harry. When they were all lying motionless on the floor, Dumbledore muttered a few inaudible words, and emerald green ropes shot from the end of his wand and wrapped themselves around the four Death Eaters.

"I told you to stay under your cloak." said Dumbledore, once he had finishedtying up the Death Eaters.

"You were outnumbered." replied Harry, and Dumbledore smiled at him.

_There were now renewed sounds of scuffling from below and a voice shouted, "They've blocked the stairs- Reducto! REDUCTO!"_

_Harry's heart leapt: _So these four tied up, helpless Death Eaters _had not eliminated all opposition, but merely broken through the fight to the top of the tower, and, by the sound of it, created a barrier behind them._

Dumbledore and Harry heard a single pair of footsteps coming up the stairs. Dumbledore whispered, "Under the cloak, Harry."

Harry obeyed and watched the door as a dark figure with long, greasy black hair burst through it. It was Snape.

"I see you have managed to fend off these four buffoons, Albus." Snape smirked.

"Severus, I was wondering if-"

But Dumbledore's sentence was cut off as Snape pulled out his wand and pointed it at his Headmaster. "Wand out and shut up, you old fool!" Snape spat. "Now... we duel."

"Severus, do not do this. Lord Voldemort is tempting you, don't give in."

"I said, _shut up! Expelliarmus!"_

Harry watched, his heart pounding uncontrollably, as Dumbledore deflected the Disarming Charm for the second time that night, but all it did was shatter a silver shield Snape had conjured in front of himself.

"_Crucio!" _Snape yelled. Dumbledore deflected the curse, which hit inches away from Harry's left ear. _"Avada-"_

"_Stupefy!" _Dumbledore said calmly, and his spell caught Snape off guard, hitting him squarely in the chest and knocking him on his back.

"That was brilliant, Professor!" Harry said, and Dumbledore turned to look at him. "That was really something."

"Thank you, Harry," replied Dumbledore "but now we must-"

"_Rennervate!" _The pair of them heard Draco's voice and turned around, but it was too late. Malfoy and Snape were scurrying down the stairs and out of sight. Harry made to run after them, but Dumbledore placed his hand on Harry's shoulder, holding him back.

"Let them go. They will do no further harm. Right now, you and I must talk."

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed it (especially the parts I wrote-hehe!) and please review- it makes me happy! 


	4. A Much Needed Discussion

A/N: Hey,Thanks for the review. I decided to write 1 chapter after this one, since this part was longer than I expected. Sorry, I didn't realize they were disabled before, but now **ANONYMOUS REVIEWS ARE ENABLED!** Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

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**Chapter 4-** **A Much-Needed Discussion**

"Now, where to begin," Dumbledore started, but Harry cut in.

"Snape! Malfoy and Snape! I told you they were up to something!"

"And you were right, Harry, to a certain degree. You see, _Professor_ Sn-"

"Sir, you can't honestly stick up for Sn- _Professor _Snape when he just tried- he just tried to- to kill you!"

"As a matter of fact I can, Harry. Severus has been doing my orders to spy on Draco Malfoy all year to see what he was up to. Obviously, he was not very successful. Although Draco believed him to be a Death Eater, he would not tell him his plans because, as you undoubtably heard, he thought Severus was trying to 'take all the glory for himself'."

"But, Professor, he tried using two Unforgivable Curses on you, and one was supposed to kill you. Malfoy says he's been doing Voldemort's orders, so that's obviously what Voldemort believes. Can you be absolutely sure that he's on our side?"

"I trust Severus with my life, Harry."

"And he almost took it from you." Harry added determinedly.

"Ok, Harry, I will tell you what has been happening with Professor Snape and I this year." Harry nodded in gratitude. "As I have already said, Severus has been spying on Draco Malfoy for me. He did not know exactly what Draco's plan was; however, he did know that his mission was to bring Death Eaters into Hogwarts and to kill me. All he needed to know, and what he didn't know until very recently, was just how it was to happen."

"But he betrayed you and tried to kill you." Harry cut in.

"I am getting to that point Harry, just be patient." Dumbledore answered calmly.

"Naturally, we both knew Draco had not the heart to kill me. He would wait for the other Death Eaters and hope that one of them would. This is where Severus came in. He would have to appear to be at least _attempting_ to help Draco, or Lord Voldemort would no longer trust him and, no doubt, would kill him. In order to save his and Draco's lives, Severus had to _pretend_ to try to kill me and then go back and tell Lord Voldemort what had happened. I told Severus that, should we be forced to confront each other, he must do what Voldemort would have him do; I would be ready. It is possible the pair of them will be punished for failing, but probably not killed."

When Dumbledore had finished, Harry could find no loop holes through which Snape might still be evil, so he decided to move on to another subject. "Malfoy, what about him?"

"Ah, yes, Draco," Dumbledore responded, "He was brought before Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters, given a mission, and accepted it. Had he declined, he would have been killed. There is nothing more to it." Dumbledore finished casually.

"Nothing more to it!" Harry said angrily. "He betrayed everyone in this school. I would've died before doing that, the stupid prat!"

"I'm sure you would have, Harry. But consider Draco's family: his mother and father are both Death Eaters, he probably looked up to them and wanted to follow in their footsteps. True, his mother didn't want him to have to take up the mission, but that was because she was worried about him, not because she thought it wrong. And his father-"

"Got himself locked up in Azkaban for following Voldemort." Harry blurted out.

"Exactly, Harry," Harry looked puzzled. "Just think, Lord Voldemort might have offered to break Lucius Malfoy out of Azkaban if Draco completed the mission. Draco wanted his father back."

Harry thought about this for a moment before saying, "That still doesn't make him right."

"No, Harry, no it doesn't" Dumbledore said thoughtfully.

After a short pause, Dumbledore moved on, "Horcruxes. We have retrieved one, would you like to open it?" Harry took the locket from Dumbledore's outstretched hand and opened it.

Inside was a letter. Harry merely stared at it. Dumbledore stared at Harry.

"Well?" Dumbledore finally asked.

"It's a letter." Harry said, still confused.

"Well, then would you mind reading it?"

Harry shook his head, then recited:

'_To the Dark Lord_

_I know I will be dead long before you read this_

_but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret._

_I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can._

_I face death in the hope that when you meet your match,_

_you will be mortal once more._

_R. A. B.'_

Harry looked up at Dumbledore who looked just as Harry felt- disappointed.

"So this is a fake?" Harry asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Yes, Harry, I'm afraid it is."

"Sir,"

"Yes?"

"Who is R. A. B?"

"Can you think of no one?"

Harry tried, but he could not think for the extreme disappointment building steadily inside him. He shook his head.

"I believe him to be Regulus Alphard Black." Dumbledore stated.

"You mean Sirius' brother?"

"Yes. He was a Death Eater, but was killed when he let known he no longer wanted to be one. My guess is that he replaced the Horcrux with this and was murdered shortly afterward."

Then it hit Harry: a heavy locket that nobody could open. He had seen it while cleaning out the glass cabinets ant Number 12 Grimmauld Place. When he informed Dumbledore of this, he was very impressed.

"I will say it again," Dumbledore began. "It's funny how the teenage mind works. You remember things that happened years ago, in detail, with exceptional ease."

Harry smiled at the compliment, then Dumbledore continued, "Next time you go to headquarters, I want you to test this locket you speak of and, if it is a Horcrux, destroy it."

"But Professor," Harry said, "I have absolutely know idea how to test or destroy a Horcrux."

"I will explain." Dumbledore said with a smile. "Cast _Lumos_ on the locket, and if it flickers red, it is most likely a Horcrux. If it does flicker red, cast the spell once more, then touch it. If it is warm, it is almost definitelya Horcrux. The third and final step is to cast a spell I have recently invented on a sneakoscope. I believe you own a sneakoscope, am I right?" Harry nodded. "The spell is 'Examino.' It will serve as a Horcrux-tester for no longer than seven seconds. In that time, you must tuch it to the object to believe to be a Horcrux. If it goes off in the same way as a normal sneakoscope, you have a Horcrux."

Harry registered all this before asking, "And... how do I destroy it?"

"First you must focus clearly on the person to whom the Horcrux belongs, then point your wand at it and say _'Scruxio'._ Just make sure you aren't touching it when you perform the spell or you might end up with this." Dumbledore smiled and indicated his shriveled, blackened hand.

Harry nodded to show that he understood.

Dumbledore smiled at him and said "I will not be able to search for more Horcruxes with you, not after what has happened tonight. However, I trust you will have it no other way to search for them yourself." Harry nodded. "So, in order to help you, I will copy all of my memories that may help you and put them in another pensieve for you to keep. I must go now to do that and do away with our Vanishing Cabinet. You will find your friends to make sure they are alright."

Harry turned to leave, but stopped at the sound of Dumbledore's voice.

"Oh, and Harry," Harry looked at him. "Please tell no one of what you are doing except for, if you wish, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger and..." Dumbledore paused and smiled knowingly, "Miss Weasley."

Harry returned the smile and headed out the door and out the spiral staircase.

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A/N: Did you know that when 2 Neptuned are aligned on New Years Eve, whatever story submitted on that day will recieve a review from all readers? 


	5. Together

A/N: Well, here it is- the last and longest chapter (readers all start crying). You know what that means? Yep, the bonus for some of you shippers out there. Hopefully the readers whose ship it isn't won't be too mad at me. Thanks for all y'all's reviews, and I hope you enjoyed the previous 4 chapters as well as this one.

**-PatronusPotter41192**

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IMPORTANT NOTE:

For those of you who didn't know (I changed it close to midnight on 12/31), the chapter in which Dumbledore is explaining how to destroy a Horcrux goes like this:

"I will explain." Dumbledore said with a smile. "Cast _Lumos_ on the locket, and if it flickers red, it is most likely a Horcrux. If it does flicker red, cast the spell once more, then touch it. If it is warm, it is almost definitelya Horcrux. The third and final step is to cast a spell I have recently invented on a sneakoscope. I believe you own a sneakoscope, am I right?" Harry nodded. "The spell is 'Examino.' It will serve as a Horcrux-tester for no longer than seven seconds. In that time, you must tuch it to the object to believe to be a Horcrux. If it goes off in the same way as a normal sneakoscope, you have a Horcrux."

For those who did know, I'm sorry for having you read that for nothing. Now, read this!

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**Chapter 5- Together**

Harry trudged down the spiral stairs, hoping to find his friends. He spotted a body lying on the ground- it was Neville. Harry was suddenly angry with himself: It's my fault, I told them to patrol the corridors, I-. Harry suddenly noticed something: Neville was breathing! _"Rennervate!" _Harry shouted, his wand pointed at Neville, who instantly came to.

"Where am I? What ha- Harry!" Neville said with a startled expression on his face. "You're alright, did it work?"

"Er, did what work?" Harry asked, confused.

"The crash."

"The crash? The cra- oh, that was you?" Neville nodded. "How'd you do it?" Harry sounded amazed; he was amazed.

"My Rememberall. One of those Death Eaters conjured a barrier to the stairs, so I threw it over it and above the door. Got hit with a Stunning Spell right after. Did it work?" Neville seemed to be getting anxious, a grin spreading across his face.

"Yeah, it did." answered Harry. Dumbledore probably could've taken the four of them anyway, but he didn't want to ruin Neville's mood. "Wait," Harry exclaimed, "didn't you lose your Rememberall ages ago?"

"Yeah," Neville replied, "but I found it when I was searching for my enchanted coin to communicate with Hermione."

"Oh," Harry said.

Just then, the pair of them heard a familiar voice calling them, "Harry, Neville, _we're going to the hospital wing._" It was Ginny.

"We're okay," said Harry.

"_It's McGonagall's orders," said Ginny. "Everyone's up there, Ron and Hermione and Lupin and everyone-"_

_Fear stirred in Harry's chest again: He had forgotten the inert figures he had left behind._

"_Ginny, who is dead?"_

"_Don't worry, none of us."_

"_But the Dark Mark- Malfoy stepped over a body-"_

"_He stepped over Bill, but it's alright, he's alive."_

_There was something in her voice, however, that Harry knew boded ill._

"_Are you sure?"_

"_Of course I'm sure... he's a- a bit of a mess, that's all. Greyback attacked him. Madam Pomfrey says he won't- won't look the same anymore..."_

_Ginny's voice trembled a little._

"_We don't really know what the aftereffects will be- I mean, Greyback being a werewolf, but not transformed at the time."_

"_But the others... there were other bodies on the ground..."_

"_Professor Flitwick is hurt, but Madam Pomfrey says he'll be all right. And a Death Eater's dead, he got hit by a Killing Curse that huge blond was firing off everywhere- Harry, if we hadn't had your Felix potion, I think we'd all have been killed, but everything seemed to just miss us-" _

_They had reached the hospital wing. Pushing open the doors, he saw Ron, Hermione, Luna, Tonks, and Lupin were gathered around a bed near the far end of the ward. At the sound of the doors opening, they all looked up. Hermione ran to Harry and hugged him; Lupin moved forward too, looking anxious._

"_Are you all right, Harry?"_

"_I'm fine... How's Bill?"_

_Nobody answered. Harry looked over Hermione's shoulder and saw an unrecognizable face lying on Bill's pillow, so badly slashed and ripped that he looked grotesque. Madam Pomfrey was dabbing at his wounds with some harsh-smelling green ointment. Harry remembered how Snape had mended Malfoy's Sectumsempra wounds so easily with his wand._

"_Can't you fix them with a charm or something?" he asked the matron._

"_No charm will work on these," said Madam Pomfrey. "I've tried everything I know, but there is no cure for werewolf bites."_

"_But he wasn't bitten at the full moon," said Ron, who was gazing down into his brothers face as though he could somehow force him to mend by just staring. "Greyback hadn't transformed, so surely Bill won't be a- a real-?"_

_He looked uncertainly at Lupin._

"_No, I don't think that Bill will be a true werewolf," said Lupin, "but that does not mean that there won't be some contamination. Those are cursed wounds. They are unlikely ever to heal full, and - and Bill might have some wolfish characteristics from now on."_

"_Dumbledore might know something that'd work, though," Ron said. "Where is he? Bill fought those maniacs on Dumbledore's orders, Dumbledore owes him, he can't leave him in this state-"_

"I am sure Dumbledore is off doing some task he feels important, and he would feel sorry for Bill, but, as Madam Pomfrey says, there is no cure for werewolf bites."

_The hospital door opened again and Professor McGonagall entered the ward. Like all the rest, she bore marks of the recent battle: There were grazes on her face and her robes were ripped._

"_Molly and Arthur are on their way," she said. Everyone roused themselves as though coming out of trances, turning again to look at Bill, or else to rub their own eyes, shake their heads. "Harry, what happened? According to Hagrid you were with Professor Dumbledore._"

"Dumbledore and I landed in the Astronomy Tower." Harry began, sounding bored. "Dumbledore immobilized me, and Malfoy burst through the door and tried to disarm Dumbledore. Dumbledore blocked it back and disarmed him. He then lifted his spell on me while Malfoy wasn't looking. Dumbledore had Malfoy explain how he brought Death Eaters into the castle and-"

"Draco let the Death Eaters in?" Professor McGonagall asked, horrified. Harry nodded. "How?"

"You know that Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Requirement?" the professor nodded. "Well, there's another one in Borgin and Burkes, they form a passageway between them, and Malfoy used it to get the Death Eaters in." Professor McGonagall still looked shocked, but motioned for him to continue.

"Dumbledore was telling Malfoy that he could hide him and his mum from Voldemort if Malfoy came over to our side. Then, four Death Eaters came marching into the room. Neville threw his Rememberall above the doorway from down in the Entrance Hall." everyone shifted their glances to Neville, then back to Harry, who continued: "It broke, and all the Death Eaters turned around to see what had happened. I came out from under my Invisibility Cloak and used the Full Body Bind on one of the Death Eaters, while Dumbledore immobilized the other three and tied them up. Snape came in and got into a fake duel with Dumbledore to trick Malfoy and the Death Eaters." Harry paused here; for once in a long time, he believed Snape to be innocent. "Dumbledore stupified him, but Malfoy used _'Rennervate' _on him, then they ran out the door and out the castle." Harry finished, his voice the same as it had been when he had begun.

Everyone was staring at him, not saying a word. Finally, Ron spoke up.

"_I messed up, Harry," said Ron bleakly. "We did like you told us: We checked the Marauder's Map and we couldn't see Malfoy on it, so we thought he must be in the Room of Requirement, so me, Ginny, and Neville went to keep watch on it... but Malfoy got past us."_

"_He came out of the room about half an hour after we started keeping watch," said Ginny. "He was on his own, clutching that awful shriveled arm-"_

"_His Hand of Glory," said Ron. "Gives light only to the holder, remember?"_

"_Anyway," Ginny went on, "he must have been checking whether the coast was clear to let the Death Eaters out, because the moment he saw us he threw something into the air and it all went pitch-black-"_

"_-Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder," said Ron bitterly. "Fred and George's. I'm going to be having a word with them about who they let buy their products."_

"_We tried everything, Lumos, Incendio," said Ginny. "Nothing would penetrate the darkness; all we could do was grope our way out of the corridor again, and meanwhile we could hear people rushing past us. Obviously Malfoy could see because of that hand thing and was guiding them, but we didn't dare use any curses or anything in case we hit each other, and by the time we'd reached a corridor that was light, they'd gone."_

"_Luckily," said Lupin hoarsely, "Ron, Ginny, and Neville ran into us almost immediately and told us what had happened. We found the Death Eaters minutes later, heading in the direction of the Astronomy Tower. Malfoy obviously hadn't expected more people to be on the watch; he seemed to have exhausted his supply of Darkness Powder at any rate. A fight broke out, they scattered and we gave chase. One of them, Gibbon broke away and headed up the tower stairs-"_

"_To set off the Mark?" asked Harry._

"_He must have done, yes, they must have arranged that before they left the Room of Requirement," said Lupin. "But I don't think Gibbon liked the idea of waiting up there alone for Dumbledore, because he came running back down the stairs to rejoin the fight and was hit by a Killing Curse that just missed me."_

"_We were in trouble, we were losing," said Tonks in a low voice. "Gibbon was down, but the rest of the Death Eaters seemed ready to fight to the death. Neville had been hurt, Bill had been savaged by Greyback... It was all dark... curses flying everywhere... The Malfoy boy had vanished, he must have slipped past, up the stairs... then more of them ran after him, but one of them blocked the stairs with some kind of curse."_

"_None of us could break through," said Ron, "and that massive Death Eater was still firing off jinxes all over the place, they were bouncing off the walls and barely missing us..."_

"_And then Snape was there," said Tonks, "and then he wasn't-"_

"_I saw him running toward us, but that huge Death Eater's jinx juste missed me right afterward and I ducked and lost track of things," said Ginny. _

"_I saw him run straight through the cursed barrier as though it wasn't there," said Lupin. "I tried to follow him, but was thrown back."_

"_He must have known a spell we didn't," whispered McGonagall. "After all- he was the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher... I just assumed that he was in a hurry to chase after the Death Eaters who'd escaped up to the tower..."_

"_He was," said Harry savagely, "and I'll bet you had to have a Dark Mark to get through that barrier- so what happened when he came back down?"_

"_Well, the big Death Eater had just fired off a hex that caused half the ceiling to fall in, and also broke the curse blocking the stairs," said Lupin. "We all ran forward- those of us who were still standing anyway- and then Snape and the boy emerged out of the dust_, and the rest of the Death Eaters followed them out of the castle." Lupin finished, apparently tired.

_The doors of the hospital wing burst open, making them all jump: Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were striding up the ward, Fleur just behind them, her beautiful face terrified._

"_Molly- Arthur-" said Professor McGonagall, jumping up and hurrying to greet them. "I am so sorry-"_

"_Bill," whispered Mrs. Weasley, darting past Professor McGonagall as she caught sight of Bill's mingled face. "Oh, Bill!"_

_Lupin and Tonks had got up hastily and retreated so that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley could get nearer to the bed. Mrs. Weasley bent over her son and pressed her lips to his bloody forehead._

"_You said Greyback attacked him?" Mr. Weasley asked Professor McGonagall distractedly. "But he hadn't transformed? So what does that mean? What will happen to Bill?"_

"_We don't yet know," said Professor McGonagall, looking helplessly at Lupin._

"_There will probably be some contamination, Arthur," said Lupin. "It is an odd case, possibly unique... We don't know what his behavior might be like when he awakens..."_

_Mrs. Weasley took the nasty-smelling ointment from Madam Pomfrey and began dabbing at Bill's wounds. She began to sob, tears falling onto Bill's mutilated face._

"_Of course, it doesn't matter how he looks... It's not r-really important... but he was a very handsome little b-boy... always very handsome... and he was going to be married!"_

"_And what do you mean by zat?" said Fleur suddenly and loudly. "What do you mean, ''e was going to be married?'"_

_Mrs. Weasley raised her tear-stained face, looking startled. "Well- only that-"_

"_You theenk Bill will not wish to marry me anymore?" demanded Fleur. "You theenk, because of these bites, he will not love me?"_

"_No, that's not what I-"_

"_Because 'e will!" said Fleur, drawing herself up to her full height and throwing back her long mane of silver hair. "It would take more zan a werewolf to stop Bill loving me!"_

"_Well, yes, I'm sure," said Mrs. Weasley, "but I thought perhaps- given how- how he-"_

"_You thought I would not weesh to marry him?_ _Or per'aps, you hoped?" said Fleur, her nostrils flaring. "What do I care how he looks? I am good-looking enough for the both of us, I theenk! All these scars show is zat my husband is brave! And I shall do zat!" she added, fiercely, pushing Mrs. Weasley aside and snatching the ointment from her._

_Mrs. Weasley fell back against her husband and watched Fleur mopping up Bill's wounds with a most curious expression upon her face. Nobody said anything; Harry did not dare move. Like everybody else, he was waiting for the explosion._

"_Our Great-Auntie Muriel," said Mrs. Weasley after a long pause, "has a very beautiful tiara- goblin-made- which I am sure I could persuade her to lend you for the wedding. She is very fond of Bill, you know, and it would look lovely with your hair."_

"_Thank you," said Fleur stiffly. "I am sure zat will be lovely."_

_And then, Harry did not quite see how it happened, both women were crying and hugging each other. Completely bewildered, wondering whether the world had gone mad, he turned around: Ron looked as stunned as he felt and Ginny and Hermione were exchanging startled looks._

"_You see!" said a strained voice. Tonks was glaring at Lupin. "She still wants to marry him, even though he's been bitten! She doesn't care!"_

"_It's different," said Lupin, barely moving his lips and looking suddenly tense. "Bill will not be a full werewolf. The cases are completely-"_

"_But I don't care either, I don't care!" said Tonks, seizing the front of Lupin's robes and shaking them. "I've told you a million times..."_

_And the meaning of Tonks's Patronus and her mouse-colored_ _hair, and the reason she had come running to find Dumbledore when she had heard a rumor someone had been attacked by Greyback, all suddenly became clear to Harry; it had not been Sirius that Tonks had fallen in love with after all._

"_And I've told you a million times," said Lupin, refusing to meet her eyes, staring at the floor, "that I'm too old for you, too poor... too dangerous..."_

"_I've said all along you're taking a ridiculous line on this, Remus," said Mrs. Weasley over Fleur's shoulder as she patted her on the back._

"_I am not being ridiculous," said Lupin steadily. "Tonks deserves somebody young and whole."_

"_But she wants you," said Mr. Weasley, with a small smile. "And after all, Remus, young and whole men do not necessarily remain so."_

_He gestured sadly at his son, lying between them._

"_This is... not the moment to discuss it," said Lupin._

The hospital door sprung open once more to reveal Dumbledore coming into the room. "What has happened to Mr. Weasley?" he asked at once.

"Greyback attacked him." replied Lupin.

Dumbledore looked sad, but apparently realized there was nothing to be done, so he said, "I have come to inform you that Hogwarts will be closing for the year in two days. We will have our annual end-of-year feast tomorrow night, and the Hogwarts Express will leave Wednesday morning. All exams have been canceled. All of this information is on each of these four flyers." Dumbledore showed them for pieces of paper in his good hand. "Miss Granger, Miss Lovegood, would you be so kind as to post these in your common rooms? Thank you." Hermione and Luna moved forward to take the paper from Dumbledore.

"I ask all of you students to please go back to your common rooms while I stay here with the elders."

Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna all obeyed and exited the room. The five Gryffindors told Luna good-bye and parted with her.

Harry noticed that Ron and Hermione were holding hands, and, for the first time Harry had seen, they seemed conscious of it. A smile was playing across his face as he asked, "So, are you two finally together?"

The pair of them blushed furiously and Hermione said, "Yes, since right after you left to go see Dumbledore in his office." the new couple smiled at Harry, then at each other, and Ron stole a peck on Hermione's cheek.

Harry felt Ginny's hand grab his. It made him feel uncomfortable: Sure, he was crazy about Ginny, but he felt he couldn't be with her or Voldemort would use her to get to Harry, as he had Sirius. Harry needed to end things with Ginny, but not tonight.

When they got back into the common room they found everyone else to be up in their dormitories. Neville bid them good-night before heading up to his dormitory. Hermione pinned the flyer Dumbledore had given her to the notice board. Then both girls said good-night, kissed their boyfriends- Hermione took a bit longer- and headed up the stairs to the girls' dormitory.

"So, Ron," Harry started, grinning mischievously, "How'd it happen?"

"How'd what happen?"

"You and Hermione." Harry stated.

Ron blushed slightly. "I dunno. After you left, I talked to her and said that if something happened to her tonight, I'd never forgive myself for not telling her everything about how I felt. I never liked Lavender, she never liked Krum or McLaggen. Turns out she's liked me as well all these years." Ron finished with a grin.

"Who knew?" Harry said, happy that his two best friends were finally together.

"I know," Ron responded, obviously not catching the sarcasm in Harry's voice. "Then we just- we just-" he had suddenly turned scarlet.

"Kissed?" asked Harry, now extremely amused. Ron merely nodded shyly.

There was a silence, which was broken when Harry said, "Well, I'm happy for you two, but I'm going up to bed now. You'll forgive me if I don't give you a good-night kiss, won' t you?" Ron hit him playfully on the arm before the two walked up the stairs, got in bed, and fell asleep immediately.

Everyone had the next day to do whatever they pleased. Ron beat Harry in a game of chess to start off the day. Harry wanted to talk to Ginny, but couldn't bring himself to ruin such a wonderful day. The trio, with the addition of Ginny, played Quidditch out on the field after lunch. Hermione used a Clean Sweep 5 they borrowed from Madam Hooch's closet. They rotated positions, having two chasers trying to score on a chaser and a keeper. Hermione was still the worst of the four, but she seemed to have improved since the last time they played.

They day had gone by so fast that it was now time for the end-of-year feast. Dumbledore rose for his speech and said, "Another year has gone by, and as you all undoubtably know, all exams have been cancelled due to recent events. You are probably all wondering who is responsible for bringing Death Eaters into this school. I tell you, it was none other than our sixth-year student, Draco Malfoy. I ask you, do not think less of Draco; if he had not done it, he would have been killed by Lord Voldemort. The means by which he brought them in has been destroyed. I would like to thank the staff, members of the Order, and even some students for helping defend our castle. Professor Snape is off on other business, and it is uncertain whether or not he will be returning to teach next year." At this statement, many Gryffindors turned and looked happily at their friends. "Quiet down, please quiet down. I am delighted to say that all of our other professors, including our new potions master, Professor Slughorn, will be returning next year. Now, tuck in!"

Food appeared instantly on the plates of all the tables. Ron was helping himself to pork ribs and chicken, while Harry took a large helping of steak-and-kidney pie. Everyone in the Great Hall was chatting animatedly while they ate. It was an excellent feast, possibly the best Hogwarts had ever had. However, it came to an end all to soon, and all students returned to their common rooms. Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and Neville played 5 games of Exploding Snap before turning in.

The next morning, Harry met up with Dumbledore while everyone around him was saying good-byes before getting onto the Hogwarts Express.

"Here is your pensieve, Harry," Dumbledore said, handing Harry a black case "It contains all of my memories that will be of help to you. There is a collection of small bottles containing others' memories I thought might help."

"Thank you, Sir," Harry said, waving good-bye to Dumbledore and putting the case into his trunk.

"Good-bye Harry. Be sure to use all three ways to test the Horcrux that I told you of. _Scruxio_ could destroy your wand if it is used on an item that is not a Horcrux.

Harry nodded and turned to leave. He had to talk to Ginny now. He didn't want to in front of everyone on the train. He didn't want to, but he had to. He couldn't let Voldemort put his Legilimency to work and use her as bait. He had to do it.

He spotted her dragging her trunk across the ground and walked up to her.

"_Ginny, listen..." he said very quietly, "I can't be involved with you anymore. We've got to stop seeing each other. We can't be together."_

_She said, with an oddly twisted smile, "It's for some stupid, noble reason, isn't it?"_

"_It's been like... like something out of someone else's life, these last few weeks with you," said Harry. "But I can't... we can't... I've got things to do alone now."_

_She did not cry, she simply looked at him._

"_Voldemort uses people his enemies are close to. He's already used you as bait once, and that was just because you're my best friend's sister. Think how much danger you'll be in if we keep this up. He'll know, he'll find out. He'll try and get to me through you."_

"_What if I don't care?" said Ginny fiercely._

"_I care," said Harry. "_How do you think I'd feel if you died... and it was my fault..."

"It wouldn't _be_ your fault," Ginny retorted. "Harry, tell me something: Do you love me?"

"I, er- yes I love you! That's why we-" but Ginny cut him off.

"Then he'll know either way. He could use me as bait whether we're together or not. I don't know about you, but if that's the case I'd rather us be together."

Harry nodded. She was right. He hadn't even thought about that.

"And Harry," she added, "I love you too."

He kissed her. All his worries were swept away, and all he could think about was how perfect she was: she was funny, kind, loving, caring, and she was the most beautiful girl Harry knew. When they broke apart, he said, "For once, I'm glad you're so stubborn."

She smiled up at him- he loved her smile- and said, _"I never really gave up on you_, and I won't now."

Harry helped her get her trunk on the train, then put his on. The pair of them met up with Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna. Harry got on the Hogwarts Express with the five of them, hand-in-hand with Ginny and looking forward to, hopefully, the best summer of his life.

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A/N: Please review and tell me how you liked the story(and this chapter). Hope you thought it ROCKED! 

-PatronusPotter41192


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